A Review of Dice and Accessories for Magic The Gathering: Tarmodie, Oracle Inserts, Monster Rocks

A Guide To Lifepads, Dice, Vaults: • MTG - A Guide To Lifep...
A Review of Tokens, and other MTG Gaming Accessories: • A Guide To Dice, Token...
Monster Rocks:
www.amazon.com/Monster-Rocks-...
Tarmodie from Star City Games: sales.starcitygames.com/carddi...[]=1331265
Kakapopo Dice & Boxes: kakapopotcg.com/
Oracle Inserts:
www.oracleinserts.com
oracleinserts
oracleinserts
Don't forget to check out Tolarian Winds: "Modern Madness!" • Tolarian Winds: "Moder... and A Guide To U/B Modern Faeries • MTG - A Guide To U/B M...
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Lore Analysis, Garruk vs. Liliana: • MTG LORE - An Analysis...
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"Vintage Education" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
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When it comes to dice, dividers, tokens and other accessories for Magic: The Gathering, there’s a whole host of items to utilize. That’s why This video will compare and contrast the Tarmo-die from StarCity games, monster rocks from newport games, the zinc spin downs from kakapopo and the oracle inserts from oracle. which have true purpose and function and which are little more than empty fluff? Let’s take a look.
Let’s begin with monster rocks from newport games. Sold in sets of 12, monster rocks are 6 sided die meant to represent magic the gathering creature tokens. On each side is both a creature emblem as well as numerical power/toughness from 1-6, in other words one side is a 1/1, another a 2/2, 3/3, 4/4, 5/5 and 6/6.
This allows one d6 to act as one of 6 potential tokens you might utilyze during gameplay. Since these are essentially numbered 1-6, they can still be used to roll as a traditional D6.
Because of the emblem and power/toughness marking, it is easier to indicate when a die is tapped than, say with just a regular d6. Being able to use one die for 6 potential tokens is also advantageous in terms of size and storage.
Where do these fall on the function versus fluff scale? I’d say somewhat more towards function than just fluff. Yes, they look nice, can be seen as adding style to your gameplay, and of course there is always the reasonable argument of just using actual tokens during gameplay.
But there’s a real function here as well, letting a handful of compact d6’s represent a host of potential creatures makes for both saving space and multi purpose. Anyone playing a massive token deck who has had to dig endlessly for the 5/5 when they have only 1/1 and 2/2 tokens in front of them can see the appeal.
Each order contains 12 great looking 6 sided die
Can be rolled as a normal D6 by using 1/1 as 1 and so on
Fun way to represent tokens in games like Magic the Gathering
Comes with dice cube
Cost is 11.99 for 12. Grade: solid B.
Next up from Kakapopo are designer dice, or more specifically, designer spindown dice.

[@TolarianCommunityCollege]

Be sure to check out other review video in this series! A Guide To Lifepads, Dice, Vaults: kzbin.info/www/bejne/jHyliaJueMyebdE A Review of Tokens, and other MTG Gaming Accessories: kzbin.info/www/bejne/nnevmKhni9KafNU

[@zacharybarbanell1064]

Do the zinc d20s fit in the tray of an Ultrapro satin?

[@austinwilburn1772]

Prof, could you futurity make a video informing the public about Wizards of the Coast's return policy, ive spoken and have told my friends about it and they had no idea it even existed, even more it seems like no one ever heard of it for anyone reading this, if you open a product and if any of the cards damaged, WotC will replace it for, their policy usually applies to most any product made in the last 18 months.

[@CassadyAlberico]

Tolarian Community College Do you know any good monthly magic crates on the market? I've been looking to sign up for one, and I was wondering if you had any helpful insights or suggestions for me.

[@thomaslindhardt9136]

Tolarian Community College if you Ever come to Greenland i Want to play magic with you

[@tante8074]

Thomas Lindhardt it must be a pain to be a Mtg player on Greenland

[@couldntpickausername4099]

oh god that broken glass insert, my god. I would be so freaking frustrated trying to play with those.

[@ChillyJack]

I'd only consider the Oracle inserts if they had Guild symbols and the like, but there'd be licensing issues I'm sure. Those zinc dice are beautiful, but $30 for a D20? No can do.

[@repotip1]

You only need one Goyf die anyway. Even if you opponent is running Goyf as well, you just use one die to keep track of the power/toughness.

[@billable1861]

Pavel Podlešák sssh they aren't that smart

[@Jonzin4BeatzNYC]

mind blown

[@Duranous1]

And since there is only one * you really don't need the tarmodie to begin with :P (unless you cant add +1)

[@repotip1]

Yep, that's what we do

[@WikoxD]

actually i Guess the tarmodie should be ay best B-

[@MTGDraftSesh]

What doesn't grow, dies. And what dies grows the Tarmodie.

[@brandoncrawford7068]

I had always assumed the oracle inserts are perfect fit sleeves. Thanks for reviewing and covering them.

[@Raknarroth]

OMG those token dice will help with a Selesnya populate build

[@ApsaraMenaka]

I don't see any use to these inserts. But nonetheless I could imagine that the skulls are meant for black decks and better visible with a dark surface than with white cards?

[@Rico_Senpai]

Great review Prof. Really enjoy getting an all around view of the products you test. Your reviews are the best on the web.

[@erickjohnson7808]

How on Earth are Tarmodie any better of a product than the other die he reviewed? I don't understand how he doesn't consider the Tarmodie "fluff" at all when your'e paying 7$ for an item that has its usefulness limited to just one card; frankly, any other die could perform the same task at a far more reasonable price.

[@MTGOTradersInc]

I thought the token dice were better too but reviews are subjective and I'm of course biased. ;) I think the professor is always very fair with his reviews.

[@ChildrenOfOwls]

Yeah, tarmodie is one of the only things I’ve questioned his grading on… so useless, just use a die and add 1 to toughness, even if you have multiple out they have the same P/T.

[@neverclever0]

Thanks for the review, professor. I might use the token dice for my cube. I do actually have a large pile of token cards for my cube, all the ones that actually match the cards. The issue is that no one actually bothers to use these whenever we are cubing, and I can't really blame them. There's 8 different types of 1/1s in my cube alone! I think taking out the fifty+ token cards and replacing them with a handful of these, and some spindowns and d6s will be a lot more useful and convenient. Keep up the good work, as always!

[@gemofmagic9436]

oh I love the look of those heavy spindown dice, I have been looking for exactly that product, something with a bit more weight to it but still spindown :D That coppery-bronze one pleases me greatly :)

[@4Eyes1]

I'm starting to wonder if my friends and I are the only ones who just use D6s for Goyf's power and then just add one in our heads for toughness.

[@ronanlambert-hill2875]

Thanks you proffesor always such a joy to hear your voice 😊

[@lukeolsen4894]

The Oracle inserts are honestly only usable for commanders, especially the alpha insert. The card sleeve slightly opens up at the top risking a DQ if you're using them in your library.

[@bobbybero7452]

They can also be used for tokens

[@jaxxon1521]

Back to the old school videos, love it..!!

[@mattforbes7833]

Those zink spin downs are pretty sweet. Would love some of those.

[@johnhowe8424]

The owner of my lgs has the fire style oracle sleeve inserts and they are nice, but they add a lot of thickness to the deck and made it very hard to shuffle if you didn't have huge hands

[@testthewest123]

Why would you ever need 4 Tarmodies? All tarmogoyf on the board have the same P/T.

[@gregoryarmstrong]

Thank for this video! I'd like to see a video for vanity and bling items to represent the kewlest of style.

[@_SBro]

I'm confused, what does the d6 token die's 3/3 side represent? What creature, in particular? I can't tell what it is supposed to be.

[@sam.mobile8063]

The oracle inserts are basically Duel Terminal foilings for the broken glass ones

[@dagonet9725]

Im playing casual magic right now but i want to get into a format and my deck right now is heavily tribal, any ideas on what format i should get into

[@Chewiix]

Anyone know where you can get the card inserts now? Looked online & Oracle doesn't seem to be a thing now?

[@tobiasvm100]

E esse Tarmogoyf em português professor ?

[@liperuf]

né?

[@windiesel2826]

Proff could you please do an updated video on this topic, I'm currently looking for some nice dice and accessories myself

[@maxwrenn5472]

You are one of the GREASTEST if not the greatest mtg KZbin ever

[@KaptainKuantum]

Prof, are there any decent custom tokens out there?

[@itsTronBonne]

I love my Kakapopo Dice. Always gets commented on at events, and the weight is soooo nice. I use it as a storm counter, as it stands out from "normal" spindowns.

[@robertlozyniak3661]

I wonder if there are any D20's that go from 0 to 19. Somehow I doubt it.

[@michaelcastillion1762]

I put the inserts in my commander deck and I put outter sleeves on top of the great John Avon island sleeves and it looks massive it takes up a whole deckbuilders toolkit box but the glare makes the cards hard to see especially foil cards

[@TheStephenation]

Could those inserts be used to even out the rigidity of damaged cards in a double-sleeved deck? That doesn't appear to be their intended function, but it was the first thing that came to mind. I have an old card that is the fourth card in a playset, inherited from a friend. It would be a $70 to $80 card, but I'd guess that at some point the card went through a previous owner's washing machine. It is heavily damaged, still easily identifiable, but I can tell the difference in rigidity even through two sleeves.

[@LPNeogetz]

If those Oracle inserts came as just a boarder I'd love them.

[@jonathanstocker2263]

Great stuff. Keep it up Prof.

[@michaelreppenhagen736]

Those Monster Dice could be fantastic if they differentiate. Like, Modern BW tokens has to generate 6 different type of tokens. Even though it'd be a lot of repeats, I'd love to see them build a die for that.

[@benjamingermain4307]

love the monster rock went to cfg which is basically down the road from me and let me tell you this store is an awesome place and will and always highly recommend everyone to shop here

[@MTGOTradersInc]

Hey Benjamin! -Heath

[@imperiajor]

i need a spin 30 dice life, did any have build one ? :(

[@lucafun97]

ahh... these videos are so relaxing

[@guilhermelins3902]

Tarmogoyf is in brazilian portuguese , how did you get dat?

[@SmugLookingBarrel]

Looking back on the Tarmo-die, I'm just thinking "Ahh remember when Goyf was a relevant modern creature?" Now we need an Uro die that just always says 6/6, and also counts the numbers of lands that you put into play and cards you've drawn off the ETB.

[@Lucan-io6ie]

Where is the _Urza's Magnifying Glass_ to check counterfeiting ?

[@Gardureth]

Whats the name of that song?

[@Sugarman96]

What's supposed to be the point of those inserts?

[@billable1861]

BuriedFlame I thought the skulls and flame were OK the broken glass was clearly too much.

[@B166ER-]

Flames and skulls...lol

[@user-kf6vv2qq1h]

Reusable foils for the poor.

[@Sugarman96]

TopHatPangolin​ I'm more saddened by the fact that at least 5 people decided it was such a clever comment that it warrants a thumbs up.

[@nyarlotep]

Amit Sugarman what does cuck means?

[@huntawpn]

Hey professor, I've been having a horrible time trying to find a set of negative counter dice for the new format of mtg. Something like a 6-sider with -1/-1, -2/-2, -3/-3, etc... Do you have any ideas or recommendations? I'm trying to find something that doesn't involve eBay retailers selling off merch from companies that have been out of business for years. Thanks in advance!

[@robertlozyniak3661]

For -1/-1 counters, I use "subtraction dice" from Koplow Games. You can also buy blank wooden cubes and a paint marker (I use cubes from printplaygames.com and an extra-fine-point Sharpie paint marker) and mark the cubes as you please.

[@do0m819]

The Monster Rocks are actually a really cool idea :D

[@fallendmr]

got to admit, struggling to see the advantage the Tarmodie has over just placing coins. but the other dice do seem quite nice.

[@undeaddueler13]

(i dont play anymore) but Yu-Gi-Oh! has a rarity on some of its cards i think called prismatic rare or shatter rare that looks exactly like those oracle inserts... i wonder what they would look like with those also in a sleeve lol

[@ComfyDents]

Why does the Tarmodice goes up to 8/9? There are only 7 cardtypes, aren't there? creature land entchantment artifact planeswalker sorcery instant

[@brandonr.2807]

A review of the various Collection Management websites out there would be of much use to us.

[@TolarianCommunityCollege]

Have been working on this. It's a little tricky, but hopefully will have a video soon.

[@brandonr.2807]

Wonderful! Keep up the great work!

[@kyuujinyetto6228]

6:50 that card is in Portuguese, i wonder how you got it tbh

[@WeskersPlayhouse]

im pretty sure the TarmoDie they used to use on camera was a traditional octahedron die. I would prefer that personally, as you could still roll with it.

[@tcgscarub4795]

So my lgs had these in store for years and I used these pre foil tokens from unstable and now he sells the for 5 dollars and I thinks ita great for that and maybe homage tcg but sadly I think they went out of business I can't find any more

[@VanbaelAssassin]

the Tarmodie is very nifty, although I don't see myself using them if I get 'goyf. The zinc spindowns are cool, but in the end they're just spindowns. Maybe if Kakapopo considers making other polyhedron dice sets then I'll consider them because we DnD players like to bring our A game and a set of zinc dice would send a message to the DM...or players if you are the DM. The monster blocks are probably the most useful thing I've seen yet. Well designed, I hope to see more products like that for token creatures.

[@dannybad5396]

The Oracle inserts deserve their grading. Those things are damn near worthless and the creators act as if they are constantly necessary

[@brocka.6479]

4 years later, with the rise of webcam Magic, especially Commander, they're even more useless because it just makes cards *that* much more difficult for other players to read, and most likely throws Spelltable's card detection off to the point of being completely non-functional.

[@dannyzep92]

If kakapopo had a full DnD set of Zinc Dice I'd be prompted to get a set

[@joshualesley]

question for anyone to answer. I'm new to the game and am in the process of building a commander deck to play with friends. I have the legendary creature Nissa that flips to Plainswalker. Is that card legal to be my commander? I've heard differing opinions.

[@odioalospoopers]

yes, but is not that good as a commander. there's A LOT of options for fun commander decks on internet. find one that fits to your game style, or just wait until august for the new commander decks that wizards will release

[@joshualesley]

Before I start buying individual cards online, I'm trying to use cards I already have. Send I've only got about 12 options with just 3 of them being multi color. Found a white black multi color that I might build an angel and demon deck out of. It's all about goofing off with the crew anyway. But thanks for the rules clarification.

[@sebastienbouffard4165]

Anyone knows of a nice -1/-1 counter dice that would fit well with the Amonketh mechanic? :)

[@robertlozyniak3661]

For -1/-1 counters, I use "subtraction dice" from Koplow Games.

[@wert677]

Yo,in vanguard,those oracle inserts could make it look like a triple rare,because that rarity has a very similar pattern

[@xx1norm1xx]

if they made a non glare version of the skull ones id love to use a black deck with the skulls

[@AffinityforMTG]

This video is to die for....

[@armon9555]

Affinity for MTG ha ha ha

[@kenny7593]

What is the 3/3 on the Monster Rocks supposed to be? The 6/6 I assume is a Wurm, the rest seem pretty obvious to me.

[@Firebird20XX]

I think the 3/3 is a beast, like from Beast Within.

[@kenny7593]

Arthur Wonderfluff I looked on their website. It’s supposed to be an elephant.

[@Firebird20XX]

Oh. I honestly can't tell. Then again it works fine for either so fair enough. I love these dice. CFG is actually my local shop. Great people.

[@redcrow7388]

thank you this really helped me

[@TheMonyarm]

I'd love to use the skulls and flames for my lands.

[@redrumurdaddy]

what's the 3/3 token supposed to be?

[@anythingbryan]

BetaWolf III a beast or an elephant

[@monkeystew7]

BetaWolf III it's a beast

[@Jonzin4BeatzNYC]

do espresso beans make good counters?

[@TolarianCommunityCollege]

they make good coffee!

[@xportaleerx9287]

Is it really so hard to execute foil sleeves or perfect fits? That's the best thing they could do and if they were any good they would blow up and make loads of money. This seriously can't be a genius idea of mine....

[@daemonas]

Why is that tarmogoyf in spanish?

[@Mojo1800]

lol the Oracles look exactly like the Duel Terminal set from Yu-Gi-Oh.

[@rheannonhayden7605]

I was watching some of your older videos and found your memory sharing. So I would like to share a memory with you. I'm a girl. I have always had an interest in things that are considered "boys toys" I love video games, MTG, and I used to collect Hot Wheels. I had little to no friends growing up. I even tried to hide the fact I like "boys toys" and pretended to like boy bands along with other things that girls were supposed to like in the 90s. Then one day I saw a boy playing MTG I asked him about it. He told me that magic was a boys game. So the next day I asked my Mom to get me some. She did, even got herself some to help me learn how to play. I wanted to be good enough to show him girls could play too. Sadly though I never got the chance, they banned cards from school shortly after. Lol.

[@SFTortoise]

you should do a review on websites that print custom cards for tokens and so on. like the game crafter and others like it.

[@Anomen1010]

great video

[@shamen-]

I'd like the beastie dice more if they actually had some personalization to colors. Like every color of dice gets a 1 side that's specific to it's color. Red gets goblins, Black gets Rats, white already has it's soldiers, green gets a saproling, blue g-.... I...erm... merfolk?

[@Scopesightzx]

The only complaint I have against the token dice is that they just display power toughness. A token deck is likely to have tokens that have the same power/toughness, but some have flying and some don't. The picture does help to determine what the token is, but I would like to see different options for some of the faces in the future

[@MTGOTradersInc]

We are working on a new run of dice that will all be color specific and we will have a "utility" die as well.

[@christophersmith6225]

I still like that broken look on the card

[@jeremiahbachmann3901]

We miss product reviews. I wish we had at least one every week. The inserts might be best used for Lands since we all know what they do and they don't need to be read very much. ;)

[@alexkent571]

varying thickness from lands with inserts and spells without will get you a DQ

[@StarkMaximum]

That brings up a different problem: you now have your lands at a different thickness and rigidity than the rest of your cards, meaning it's going to be significantly easier to anticipate one coming up on your next draw or pick out where they are when shuffling. All your cards have to be sleeved identically. It's a shame because I did briefly think your suggestion was a great idea until I thought about it for another few seconds.

[@zachporr4315]

Jeremiah Bachmann as much as I love Prof's product reviews, he's already reviewed most relevant products. He releases them at a slower pace because he needs to wait for new products to come out lol

[@ArmadilloAl]

Hmm...would there be a noticable difference if you put the insert inside the sleeve in front of the lands and behind the non-land cards?

[@TolarianCommunityCollege]

I miss them too. Feel free to name products I have **NOT** reviewed and I will review them. Quite frankly, I have reviewed 99% of what's out there, including specialty items. I basically sit around eagerly waiting for someone to make something new.

[@schwarzerritter5724]

Why do you need four dice for Tarmogoyf? Don't they all have the same power? Why do you even need special dice at all? Just use a regular one for the base power.

[@dallasjthompson]

I disagree with the tarmodie being just function, I've always used a d8, and it's always been clear to my opponents

[@Lucarioguild7]

I really want those token dice

[@MTGOTradersInc]

You can either buy them now and pay an extra $2 for shipping on amazon or wait a few days and we will have more up on amazon prime.

[@Claede]

"casual play" and "tarmogoyf" in the same sentence? one can only dream :(

[@pops91]

okay i need clarification on the a- of the goyfs, the monster rocks can be used as both monsters and normal d6, they are small compact and and come 6 for a relative low price, yet they got a B, why are goyfs a- when they do 1 thing for 1 card, they are super expensive and they are quite big especially if you are just bringing a deckbox and mat to modern (be honest only modern players will buy this), i am concerned if there was any bias to this

[@TolarianCommunityCollege]

" the monster rocks can be used as both monsters and normal d6" Yes, and normal d6 can be used as both monsters and normal d6. It's a little nicer as with the monster rocks due to the emblem and 1/1 marking, but its not letting you do something you could not before. Also, with regular and specialty tokens available, this is not giving you something you don't have access to in many other areas. It's neat. I evaluated it at a B: very good. The Tarmodie allows you to do something you can't do without it. Easily and effectively display the changing power/toughness of your goyf. Counters and dice will never accurately do this, due to the different power and toughness that is part of goyf's nature. So this is offering something you can't get elsewhere. In addition, since goyf does change a lot it is often a point of annoyance figuring out its power toughness, so there is a convenience here for some players. Long ago I discussed with everywhere how much of a factor price should play, and it was overwhelmingly decided price should play very little role, if any. So when I look at all that, A- given there's some odd aspects to it such as the large size and shape. That's my evaluation. Feel free to disagree.

[@TolarianCommunityCollege]

I absolutely see where you are coming from. Remember that your evaluation is the one that counts, not mine. If it were up to me, at this point I wouldn't even use grades but people insist on them so I am stuck.

[@pops91]

Tolarian Community College your grading is fine prof and I have always agreed on your evaluations, it was just this small detail that caught my eye, regardless awesome videos and I always smile when I see your reviews keep up the good work and hope to see you in person next mtg event

[@MichaelCarrigan]

Tarmodie at 4 for $20 with the largest side being an ad from the manufacturer. Really !?!

[@fgregerfeaxcwfeffece]

Mr. Poopybutthole german name is Mr. Kakapopoloch. Which is an acurate translation. In other words: Where is that company located?

[@MutantNinjaFly]

it would be a lot better for those token dice if they were the correct color. ie the wurms were green, the angels were white, etc.

[@MTGOTradersInc]

That is our plan for the next ones. It's much more expensive to make them that way but we are going to try.

[@ImrazorZodd]

Good stuff. Except for the fauxoil, that ones's quite useless.

[@Deleaubro]

Do you even need 4 tarmodie? Aren't all Tarmogoyfs on the field going to have the same power and toughness?

[@MrSageCurtis]

You would have to buy multiple packs to get the colored dice you need.They don't seem very practical. The giant dice seem more function than fluff to me. You can see them from across the table and they don't roll over. Those are my biggest problem with regular d20s. They are overpriced though.

[@stefanobadodi2085]

A- for the Tarmodie???? At 7$ each??? Prof???

[@nyarlotep]

3:50 the answer is rainbows! the answer is holo!

[@ludvigafklercker7722]

Why would you ever need more than one though...?

[@ludvigafklercker7722]

I mean, of the tarmo dice.

[@jamiehurricane]

There is nothing better than a big box of D10. It is perfect. 2 of them for double digits, three for hundreds etc. Anything else is ludicrous.

[@tomlose3843]

Awesome brazilian portuguese card

[@rendevoir4736]

why you carry a million monster rock dice? ehh, equip midnight guard with presence of gond, tap him, make a million 1/1 elves

[@michaelhill3892]

Is it only me that think's prof looks like the amazing Heath Ledger? R.I.P H.L.

[@ryanaymar9124]

i havn't watched it yet, but i already love it! XD

[@JacoDeltaco]

I keep my token in order so it not a pain

[@IcaroMendonca]

Huh, you have a brazilian tarmagoyf

[@JdTheMetalhead]

I use a calculator and double my goblins every turn thanks to Krenko!

[@Leverquin]

that italian green card :D

[@anlashock]

nice card in Portuguese

[@markst.5383]

Kakapopo sounds very funny if you are a german speaker ... ;)

[@DerbyPorcelain]

sigh, the good days of TCC